Seasoned Fries

Start with two large Russet potatoes, scrubbed clean. Julienne them on a mandoline. As you cut them, put the cut potatoes into a bowl of water with a little splash of lemon juice or vinegar in it (the acid will keep the potatoes from turning brown).

NOTE: A mandoline is a handy tool to have around the kitchen, but like most kitchen tools, it is worth getting a decent model. A cheap mandolin will shred your knuckles faster than anything. Frankly, a well-made mandoline will shred your knuckles, too, if you don't take extra care when using it. Here is a story. I've been in commercial kitchens since about the age of 14. I first used a mandoline at about the age of 17. Until recently, I never used one with a safety handle. When working with especially dangerous items (small or hard items) I would use a schucking glove to protect my hand, but I never really thought about it. Just a few weeks ago, I was cutting potatoes on my mandoline; my hand slipped, and my palm came down on the blade. The result looked something like the nerdy kid in a Freddie Kruger movie - a bloody mess. It only takes one time. Never again will I take a chance again. Use the guard.

Heat a deep saucepot filled with vegetable oil up to about two inches from the top. If you fill it up too much you will end up with hot oil all over your stove. Use a hot oil or candy thermometer with a clip on it to monitor the temperature of the oil. You want to maintain a temperature right around 350F. (You can avoid this step if you have a proper deep fryer.)

As you are waiting for the oil to heat, mix a batch of seasoned flour. Combine 2 cups of flour, with liberal quantities of garlic powder, onion powder, fine salt, and black, white and cayenne peppers. I like mine a little spicy. Keep in mind that it will mellow a bit when you fry it on the potato. I suggest going a little heavier on the seasonings than you would expect to need.

Drain a handful of the potatoes in a small collander, put them in a large moon bowl, add a handful of the seasoned flour, and toss the potatoes in the flour until they are totally covered.

CAREFULLY drop the floured fries in the hot oil a few at a time. Adding them too fast can cause all sorts of havoc, including any of the following: (1) you may overload the fryer so that it sizzles over and covers your stove/self with hot oil (2) the hot oil DOESN'T put the flame of the burner out, but instead it catches fire, along with your entire stovetop, or (3) the oil cools down too quickly and your fries end up soggy. The last one is the worst. No one likes soggy fries. Avoid this my keeping an eye on the thermometer while you add fries to the oil. If it drops close to 300F, stop adding fries. It may take longer to cook them in smaller batches, but the end product will be MUCH better.

When the temp of the oil gets back up to 350F (or about 5-7 mins later), your fries should begin to brown. Pull them out with a strainer and put them in a large colander on a plate lined with paper towel. (I don't have a large colander, so I used the steamer insert that came with one of my large pots). Repeat the process until you are out of fries. They should be crispy and spicy on the outside with tender potato on the inside, YUM!

I made these with Dungeness crabs. Since the fries are a bit of a production, I probably wouldn't make these on a weekday, but they are good for those weekend casual projects like crabs, P&E shrimp, or steamers. You could make them without the flour to cut down on the mess, but what fun would that be!

Dungeness Crabs!!!

We were out at our favorite fishmarket the other day, and I caved; I finally broke down and bought Dungeness crabs. What a treat! We might make this a regular thing.

Dungeness crabs are found on the Pacific coast from Alaska down to Northern California. They are named after a town in Washington State now known as "Old Town." Only the male of the species is legally harvested for consumption. So much for equal rights. Dungeness crabs have been commercially harvested since the 1880s, and about 40-50 million pounds are sold annually. About 30% of the crabs' weight is edible meat.

Unlike more common crabs served in seafood restaurants (King or Snow), Dungeness crabs have relatively wide bodies and short legs. For this reason, many who are accustomed to the other crab varieties avoid them because those fools mistakenly believe that the legs have the best tasting meat. Those people have never tasted the tender buttery treasures that dwell deep inside the squat, rosy body of the Dungeness. Now, I admit it takes some work, but not as much as you might think. With a little instruction, you will be up to you elbows ans stuffed to the gills (he he) with crabby goodness before you know it. Besides, ripping into a carcass with your bare hands takes us back to the days when we had to do it to survive. Ahhh, nostalgia!

Start with a couple of live crabs, and a couple big pots of boiling water. Make sure each pot is large enough for the crab to fit inside, and deep enough so that the crab will be a couple of inches under the surface of the water. Fill the pots with water and about 1/8 c of salt. Bring the water to a rolling boil.

Once the water is at a full rolling boil, drop in a crab, and set a timer for 12-20 mins (depending on the size - a 2lb crab will take 15 mins). Your crabs will (should) come with their claws tied in rubber bands; leave these on. You don't want to try to handle a 2 lb crab with full use of its claws. Don't feel guilty about dropping a live animal in a pot of boiling water. Remember, if you were in the ocean, it would eat you. If it makes you feel better, throw it in the freezer for about 15 mins before you boil it. It will slow down the crab's metabolism (although, personally I'd rather be boiled alive than frozen). Either way, he won't feel a thing.

While the crabs are boiling away, get an ice bath ready. A big bowl filled with ice water will do (I like them chilled. You can serve them hot, too, but it is a little tricky to clean them).

When the time goes off, pull the crabs out and drop them in the ice bath.

When they are cool, you can start to clean them by placing them on the counter or board facing away from you. At the base of the body on the back-side of the crab you will be able to see where the shell meets the body. Hold the body down against the board, and pull up on the back of the shell. As the shell lifts up, the gills will twist out of the sides of the shell. Once they are free, you should be able to pull the shell off to reveal the gills and internal organs. (Some people save the internal "crab butter" as some kind of delicacy - I'm not a fan. I toss it). Run the crab body under cold water while you pull the gills and organs out of the body "cavity". Pull away the small "fingers" from the mouth area.

Turn the crab over and use your thumb or a pointy object to pry up the wedge-shaped apparatus on the bottom of the body. Pull this off and throw it away.

Now you are ready to dig in! Skip the drawn butter; you won't need it.

Starting with the claws, twist each of the legs away from the body. You should be able to break the armor shield from the bottom of the body, and then break the body into two halves. The tender, sweet crabmeat is inside, arranged in segments like an orange. If you hold the body-half upside down you will be able to see where each of these segments is attached. If you are careful, you can peel away the shell over one segment at a time to reveal the jumbo-lump meat inside. It takes practice and patience, but it is well worth the trouble. Don't forget the wet-naps!

Serve with corn-on-the-cob (since you are already a mess) or homemade seasoned fries. Enjoy!

Browning-An interesting link

Ive always wondered how those silvery cardboard disks were able to brown microwave pizza.

Here is how